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The situation at the US-Mexico border is escalating to unprecedented levels as countless migrants, undeterred by legal barriers, are flocking to freight train lines in Eagle Pass, Texas. These migrants, in a desperate bid to reach the United States, are resorting to dangerous railway hopping tactics, as captured in startling footage by Fox News near Piedras Negras, Mexico.

The images show a seemingly unending stream of migrants, burdened with luggage and accompanied by children, eagerly greeting passing trains. This risky strategy of hopping onto moving trains from South and Central America to the US border has become alarmingly common, prompting Mexico’s largest freight line, Ferromex, to suspend 60 northbound trains due to the overwhelming number of migrants risking their lives this way.

The severity of the situation escalated in September, leading to tragic incidents including injuries and deaths among migrants. This surge has had a domino effect, compelling the Eagle Pass Port of Entry to scale back its normal operations.

In a drastic move, on December 4, one of the two bridges spanning the Rio Grande was shut down, allowing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to focus their strained resources on the swelling influx of migrants. This closure in Eagle Pass is part of a broader pattern, with three other ports of entry across California and Arizona also shuttered indefinitely.

CBP statistics paint a grim picture: in October alone, 52,000 migrants sought legal entry at border crossings, while a staggering 189,000 attempted to breach the border illegally across remote desert areas. The fiscal year 2023 marked a record-breaking high since records began in 1960, with 2.4 million people apprehended attempting to cross into the U.S.

These numbers show no signs of abating. Just a day after the Eagle Pass closure, an astounding 12,000 people were encountered in a single day trying to cross the southern border. This crisis highlights the urgent need for effective border management and policies to address the surging migrant tide.